Tonight

On left, Dan Viets, attorney at law and chairperson for Show Me Cannabis, opens his part of the discussion with a reiteration of the David and Natalie DePriest sentencing. The public packs the building Thursday evening at the town hall meeting sponsored by Show Me Cannabis to foster discussion on marijuana legislation in Missouri.

Meeting sparks marijuana debate

More than 150 turned out to discuss legalization issues

On left, Dan Viets, attorney at law and chairperson for Show Me Cannabis, opens his part of the discussion with a reiteration of the David and Natalie DePriest sentencing. The public packs the building Thursday evening at the town hall meeting sponsored by Show Me Cannabis to foster discussion on marijuana legislation in Missouri.

A town hall style meeting hosted by Show Me Cannabis on Thursday in Park Hills sparked some local debate about reforming Missouri's marijuana laws.

The group is "an organization dedicated to ending the legal prohibition on cannabis in Missouri and regulating and taxing the plant in a manner similar to alcohol," according to their website. The meeting started with three panelists each giving a few remarks, followed by a Q-and-A session.

Discussion topics ranged from the recent sentencing of two Farmington siblings for cultivation, to possible tax benefits from its sale on the open market. Some in the audience also voiced opposition to the group's platform of marijuana legalization.

"Not all these people here are for marijuana legalization ... there are several of us who are not. There are several things involved in this that are highly questionable. Why was it made illegal in the first place? Were they complete idiots back in those days? Is it a gateway drug? That side of the story needs to be talked about ... probably not in this forum," said Paul Pankhurst.

Dan Viets, attorney and group chairperson, kicked the meeting off by discussing the David and Natalie DePriest sentencing hearing. Twenty-fourth judicial circuit court Judge Kenneth W. Pratte sentenced the two siblings in November to 22 and 15 years, respectively, in the department of corrections for a marijuana grow operation in Farmington.

"Judge Pratte has the authority to let them back out of prison. We hope he is going to use that authority. I certainly don't want to criticize Judge Pratte. I'm sure he did what he thought was appropriate, but he is elected by all of you who live in St. Francois County and Ste. Genevieve and the other counties in this circuit and I'm certain he'll listen to what the voters have to say," Viets said.

Viets urged those in attendance to sign a petition compelling the judge to grant them probation, which he has the ability to do within the first 120 days.

"Please sign that petition. It's just astounding they are serving the sentences they are. Very close to 90 percent of people in their position receive probation without serving any time in the department of corrections," Viets said.

The group says current ballot initiatives aim for regulation of marijuana in Missouri based on legislation similar to Colorado. Recent remarks by President Barrack Obama on marijuana have resounded among those in favor of reform, according to Viets.

"It made national news because the President said marijuana is less dangerous than alcohol. And everybody knows that marijuana is less dangerous. It is a lot dangerous than tobacco as well. But, for a sitting president to make that statement, it's newsworthy. It's very encouraging,” Viets explained.

According to the attorney, a recent Gallup poll shows 55 percent of Americans in favor of legalization. The group is polling likely 2014 voters. If they can garner 60 percent of the likely vote in November, they will pursue one of 14 ballot initiatives recently approved by the secretary of state.

"We'll do our best to get the signatures we need, it's about 160,000 of them, to get that initiative on the ballot this November. On the other hand if doesn't look like we will get the support we need we'll wait until 2016," Viets said.

Decriminalization of marijuana in Columbia is something the group would like to see expounded to include cultivation of up to six plants, according to Viets. An ordinance passed 10 years ago made misdemeanor possession in that city a municipal infraction. Viets says "objectively" the ordinance is one of the best in the country.

"What it does is require police not to arrest people but to give them a summons, to send them only to municipal court. That's a key provision. No other city in the country, as far as I'm aware of, has specifically directed their law enforcement officers to only use the city ordinance," Viets said. "We are hoping to get that expanded to include six plants, or less than six plants."

Executive director and Poplar Bluff native John Payne discussed use among teens, costs to the taxpayers, and possible future legislation.

"Even if you think it's a good idea to (keep) cannabis illegal, to keep it away from people ... well the policy that we have simply isn't doing that. The reason being is I never had to leave school to get cannabis. I would buy it from my buddy or in the parking lot after school, whereas alcohol, that took planning." Payne said.

According to Payne, the cost to the taxpayers for marijuana enforcement is $90,000 a year. This drain on law enforcement resources deters attention from more serious crimes, according to the group.

"We are making about 20,000 arrests. It's basically like arresting all of Farmington and most of Park Hills every single year. That's crazy. These people are all getting criminal records. It's going to be a lot harder for them to find jobs, to go to school. Even if there is a person who has a problem with cannabis, and some people do, how is this helping them?" Payne asked.

Sgt. Gary Wiegert, a 34-year veteran of the Saint Louis Police Department who became a lobbyist for the group, says misdemeanor arrests for the drug are a waste of money and law enforcement's time.

"I've made thousands of drug arrests. I've made hundreds of marijuana arrests. If someone is caught, I obey the law. But when I first came on the department if you made an arrest for marijuana the other policemen would just make fun of you. Let's face it, St. Louis, we got a lot of big problems there, marijuana isn't one of them," Wiegert said.

He adds that the police are only doing their duty in enforcing the law, but that they also often have to overlook marijuana offenses to pursue cases that are more dangerous.

"When I first came on this police department, you find someone with some marijuana and you wad it up and throw it into the sewer. Now things have changed. Now police cars have cameras in the cars so police have lost that discretion. They no longer can do that because they are on camera committing a violation," Wiegert said.

Heroin overdoses have forced St. Louis police to carry an antidote in recent months, which is not an issue with marijuana.

"We have a meth problem. We have a real heroin problem. We have a cocaine problem. With these habits, they're burglarizing people. They are knocking down little old ladies and taking their purses and they’re doing it to support one of these three habits. They're not doing it to buy marijuana," Weigert said.

If there is enough support to place a question of marijuana law reform on the ballot, Missourians could vote on the issue in the fall of 2014.

“There are several things involved in this that are highly questionable. Why was it made illegal in the first place? Were they complete idiots back in those days? Is it a gateway drug? That side of the story needs to be talked about." - Paul Pankhurst, citizen

(19) comments

If you're not aware, the photographer controls the picture. It's not as though everyone turned away at once. FYI, I was present at the meeting and it was well attended. There were people on both sides of the issue and everyone was treated respect.

I think it was appropriate to use discretion in photographing everyone. After all, that is kind of what the meeting was about; the current structure of our laws regarding marijuana. A face on photograph may make it easier to target people. But frankly, I'm fed up with hiding and many people who contribute to this society are tired of the control and hypocrisy. It's time to vote on this and vote some people out if need be. There's no good reason these plants can't come right up by the tomatoes each summer.

I'm really unclear on how people like the judges and prosecutors sleep at night. I do pray for them.

calypso- I wonder how you sleep at night you say you pray for the Judges and Prosecutor and wonder how they sleep at night, let’s see they are abiding by established LAWS that are on the book. Just because you work and pay taxes does that give you the right to break the law just because you don't agree with them, we as citizen are supposed to obey all of man’s laws per the BIBLE. God says obey his laws and the laws of man, and you say you don’t want to held back anymore you must chose if you are going to abide by the laws of god and man’s laws and you talk about HYPROCACY yea right. If a police officer stopped you and you had drugs is he supposed to turn his head and decide what laws he wants to enforce?

ktrain 50 says, "If a police officer stopped you and you had drugs is he supposed to turn his head and decide what laws he wants to enforce". The sad part of that is the person who is the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in this nation does exactly that. He took an oath to enforce the laws, but he and his Attorney General have decided they will change laws they don't like or just not enforce the one's they don't like. So calypso is just like Obama. I agree, go through the constitutional process and change the laws if you don't like them, but policemen, judges, and the President all take oaths to enforce the law.

To Ktrain and BO. I'll disclose to you that never have I voted for a Democrat unless run on ballot unopposed. I'll also disclose that I have always viewed the Republican party as the party less intrusive, or controlling of my personal liberties. Which is primarily what drives my vote.

To those that want to continue this modern day prohibition, I'll also disclose to you that I have pretty good political acumen. And when it becomes completely visible in the open that the Republican party is NOT there to rally behind this civil liberty issue, you'll (we'll) unfortunately see more states turning blue.

Also, I never mentioned police officers who's job it is to enforce the laws on the books. Who I did mention are the prosecutors and judges who do not provide equal justice for the same crimes.

Truth is, it's BO who usually wants to control what people do in the same way you are advocating. Look in the mirror, you're no libertarians my friends.

Well feel sorry for the kids that were represented by the stoner attorney. He's the one that should go to prison. I think if pot is legalized we will have more people driving stoned and more people unemployed, because we already have a lot of people who are too lazy to work or even go look for a job. They complain nobody will hire them but they won't even get out and look. Of course they couldn't pass a drug test. Do you think that employers are going to hire somebody that can't pass a drug screen. Even if its legalized they are not going to want stoners as their employees. You all know people now who you consider potheads. Do you want more? Ask many of the recovering drug addicts. They will tell you that Marijuana is a gateway drug. Yes teen drinking is a huge problem, yes alcoholism is a huge problem, yes opiate addiction is a huge problem. yes smoking synthetics is a huge problem, but lets wake up people! Why make it easier for people to become dependent on another drug?

OMG, talk about a closed narrow mind, how many reports have we seen on TV and news papers about Judges and Law Enforcement using drugs. What about the critically ill folks who suffer? There ARE people who are busniess owners, lawyers, doctors, your upstanding people in your society who secretly use pot. I can't stand to be around people drinking, talk about sloppy, nasty actions. No one has ever died from pot, but die everyday from alcohol, profiling folks as lazy, really. Do some research while playing on your computer, look at the stats on useful purposes for THC, see if you find any for alcohol?! The Gateway drug is alcohol or even maybe something in your medicine cabinet your kids or grandkids find. I do not use it nor booze, but that's my right, and it should be a right to chose as adults, not to mention the taxes that could go towards education, just like the gambling taxes are supposed to, make room in our prisons for REAL criminals, rapist, murders, child abusers, ect....

BOB- The people I personally know that you call "stoners" and "potheads" are people that have very professional places of employment. They are capable of working 40 + hours a week. They do not "get high" on the job. They are very respected in their communities. If you needed a shirt they would give you their's. I don't believe in stereo typing people. I personally would love to see it be legal. Been smoking pot for 30 years no it has not lead to worse drugs. I am a functioning stoner. Oh and BOB I am not even much on drinking. I am the DD

Yep Bob. I smoked weed daily for 30 years also. Got up went to work everyday too! Had a professional career that paid really well. Many benefits for myself and my family from that job. I never have used any other illegal drugs either! Did I mention my job was a high risk for injury? Why I was often hundreds of feet in the air on nothing but a rope! Never got injured but one time. Happened to be dead middle of an 8 year period that I didn't smoke any weed in!!!!! Imagine that Bob! Perhaps we should outlaw beer?

I am highly suspicious of the motives behind those that are so desperately fighting against legalization. What do they stand to lose? If I were a drug dealer, bar owner, or liquor store owner or anyone pushing drugs,tobacco or alcohol I would fight tooth and nail against legalization for fear that it would ruin my business. Do you think the neighborhood drug dealer or the Mexican cartels want marijuana legalized? What about rehabs? They stand to lose when the number of drug addicts decreases as a result of legalization. Certain law enforcement agents, such as Ed Moses stand to lose. Not all those that are fighting legalization have the pure and good intentions they claim.

Cherokee,People have died from marijuana . There was just a report on the St. Louis news about four teens that died from smoking marijuana with an extremely high THC content. People driving stoned wreck and die or injure others the same as alcohol users do. You cannot pretend that doesn't happen because it certainly does. You also ignore the other health problems that are well recognized with marihuana use. Marijuana has twice the number of known poisons that tobacco cigarettes contain. How can that possibly be healthy to ingest in your lungs? The answer is, it isn't but since so many marijuana smokers also smoke cigarettes the diagnosis would be placed on tobacco because the smoker doesn't want to reveal they have been smoking an illegal substance. I find it funny the recreational marijuana crowd tries so hard to piggy back on the medical marijuana users back. Ignoring or lying about things don't make them fact.

Still waiting for a link to that report, FUBAR. Please, do tell about those four teens that died from smoking marijuana. Surely you wouldn't lie about such a serious matter, hoping that the ignorant would accept it as fact? Shame,shame.

Fubar, You said that "Ignoring or lying about things don't make them fact". Please back up your statement "There was just a report on the St. Louis news about four teens that died from smoking marijuana with an extremely high THC content". I have searched but cannot find a single word about your "report". There was a young girl in Houston that had a stroke as a result of smoking "synthetic" marijuana. Synthetic marijuana IS a dangerous substance but I don't think we'll be seeing any more of that once marijuana is legalized, thank goodness. Do please inform us where you got your information about these four teens that died from smoking marijuana, because as you say, "lying about things don't make them fact". And that's a fact, Jack.

Welcome to the discussion.

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